An Introduction to Balance

An Introduction to Balance

Our daily lives can be split into three main areas of activity. Namely, social relationships, work, and self-care. Due to our fast paced lifestyle in Singapore, it can be easy to get excessively caught up in one of these areas, creating imbalances within ourselves that produce many often-overlooked negative outcomes. Therefore, it is crucial to examine how we much energy we are using in each of these areas and become more aware of why maintaining a good balance between them is essential in the long run.

Social Activities

Maintaining healthy social relationships and investing time and energy into such activities become harder the older we get, as work consumes much of our time. However, consistent social connections are essential for our well-being. Without them, we are at risk of experiencing loneliness, which could lead to detrimental effects such as anxiety, depression, and anger. Chronic loneliness could create further tendencies to withdraw from social activity, leading further self-defeating behaviours. Our sense of self- worth would take a hit, worsening the effects and creating a vicious cycle making it harder to reconnect with others socially.

Although social interactions and work have much effect on our well- being, self-care and rest would have arguably the greatest impact. Leaving little time for rest could result in experiencing burnout, and over reaching for social interactions while disregarding our own energy levels and time with ourselves can result in low energy for fruitful connections or even compassion fatigue which may harm our relationships and ourselves. Self-care can come in many forms, such as sleep, hobbies and mindfulness practices. Reflection also allows for our own growth by providing the space to heal from past hurts, grow from our flaws, and become better individuals for ourselves and others.

Physical activity is also crucial, as it not only benefits our health but releases endorphins that help to release tension and stress held in ourselves. Good self-care can be practised in many ways, but it is important that meaningful and uninterrupted time is set aside on a regular basis for ourselves.

Beyond being employed to sustain our lifestyles financially, work can provide many other benefits. Work allows us to attain a sense of self- achievement, boosts our positive self-regard, provides consistent intellectual challenge, improves our capacity for critical thinking and breadth of knowledge and skills, and provides a positive space for social interactions. Benefits aside, being consumed by work excessively is detrimental to our well-being. This intrudes on our time with ourselves and others, resulting in negative effects like loneliness, harming relationships with those around us, or even bringing about burnout. Therefore, work should be balanced by setting healthy work boundaries, such as putting aside work-related matters when spending time with others, and respecting time set aside for our rest.

Self-Care

Although social interactions and work have much effect on our well- being, self-care and rest would have arguably the greatest impact. Leaving little time for rest could result in experiencing burnout, and overreaching for social interactions while disregarding our own energy levels and time with ourselves can result in low energy for fruitful connections or even compassion fatigue which may harm our relationships and ourselves. Self-care can come in many forms, such as sleep, hobbies and mindfulness practices. Reflection also allows for our own growth by providing the space to heal from past hurts, grow from our flaws, and become better individuals for ourselves and others.

Physical activity is also crucial, as it not only benefits our health but releases endorphins that help to release tension and stress held in ourselves. Good self-care can be practised in many ways, but it is important that meaningful and uninterrupted time is set aside on a regular basis for ourselves.

What can Balance Look Like?

Balance can manifest in various ways, depending on the individual. For example, some may find setting up a fixed routine useful, while others mayprefer a flexible schedule. Similarly, some may prefer to turn off work-related notifications to protect personal time, while others may prefer to read and respond to work-related emails and messages whenever they wish to. The commonality amongst all these choices is the ability to decide for yourself what is urgent and what can wait and to employ a system that works for you.

However, the key point here is being intentional about setting aside time for things that help us maintain our wellness. Recognising when we are stressed, paying attention to our needs, and taking the time to fulfil those needs help balance manifest in our lives.

Common misunderstandings about balance

#1 A balanced life is one where we are achieving equilibrium among the different areas of our life at all time

It is unrealistic to expect that we should always be excelling in many different aspects of life, such as work, socialisation, fitness, and self-care. There are bound to be certain periods of time when it is difficult to achieve balance. Students often spend more hours studying when exam week is approaching, and some months may be busier than others in the workplace. However, we can maintain balance by allotting time for other things that are important to us within a reasonable period of time.

#2 Balance is only about time

Balance is not only about time, but it can also be governed and influenced by  time.  When  we  think  about  balance,  time  management may be one of the first things that come to mind. However, balance is about  more  than  just time.  For  instance,  balance  (or  lack  thereof)  can manifest itself in the mental space we accord to our commitments and concerns, as well as in ourmindsets and emotions. For example, one may feel overwhelmed or have trouble relaxing due to an overwhelming or stressful workload, even in one’s free time.

#3 Balance always appears the same way.

Balance does not necessarily remain the same over time – it is up to you to decide what you want to focus and spend your time on. This can change, especially when we move into different phases of life. It may be a good idea to check in with yourself from time to time and re-evaluate what is important to you.

Am I in balance?

How do you know if you are in ‘balance’? Since balance has been defined, it istime to find out if you are in balance. Knowing whether you are in balance canhelp you work towards creating balance in your life. Below is a test we created to help you see if your life has been in balance lately.

Self-test

Try to recall how the last few months have been. Was it hectic? Did you feel satisfied with how you apportioned your energy each week? Let's find out!

Each ‘yes’ is equal to one point while each ‘no’ does not affect  the total  number  of  points.  Add  up  the  number  of points.

0-4 points: You life is well balanced! How can you maintain this balance?

5-8 points: You're on track but could benefit from taking some action to reach greater balance.

9-12 points: It seems like you may need to work on achieving some balance in life.

Do keep in mind that this is not a diagnostic test! If you feel that you need to seek advice, do consult a professional.

Scoring high on this test does not mean your work-life balance is impossible to improve. Likewise, scoring low on this test does not mean your work-life balance  is  perfect. Achieving  balance in one’s  life is not about maintaining the perfect balance every single day. It is about committing to or making the choice to prioritise your physical and emotional health. Find some time each week to  reflect  on  how  your energy levels have fluctuated throughout the week. Devise ways to keep yourself happy and positive, such as scheduling regular exercise or going to your favourite spot in the city or atthe park. Although it may be difficult to maintain a good work-life balance in Singapore, prioritising your mental health always pays off in the long run.

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Written by: Raj | Edited by: Joey